The pre-season top-ranked Bruins already have a loss under their belt after opening weekend.

And coming off the Sunday evening defeat, No. 1 UCLA baseball (2-1) is set to face Tulane (2-1) in its first midweek matchup of the year at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

Although UCLA is the clear favorite heading into the midweek game, the team is coming off a loss to an unranked UC San Diego squad.

“Obviously you have to live with it, but we’re just looking forward to the Tuesday game now,” said junior first baseman Mulivai Levu.

Despite the loss, the Bruins demonstrated their offensive prowess throughout the weekend series.

The team recorded 23 runs to the Tritons’ 13 across three games. Moreover, every starting UCLA position player had at least one hit during the series, with six of them leaving the yard at least once. Two of these over-the-fence drives came from the bats of new additions – freshman second baseman Aiden Aguayo and junior outfielder Will Gasparino, a Texas transfer, hammered their first home runs in Westwood.

The solid offensive performance from veteran and novice Bruin batters helped solidify the team’s top ranking even after taking an early-season upset.

However, the UCLA pitching staff struggled on the other side of the ball throughout the weekend.

With both senior right-hander Michael Barnett and junior right-hander Logan Reddemann going five innings, Sunday starter junior right-hander Landon Stump fell short of the five frame mark. But it wasn’t just the starters as sophomore right-hander Easton Hawk – the Bruin’s closer – gave up two home runs in the Bruin’s one-run loss finale.

Still, the pitching staff did hold the Tritons to six runs across the first two games, demonstrating its ability to limit opposing lineups.

And the Sunday loss did not seem to dent UCLA’s confidence heading into the second week of the season.

“We’re definitely going to be ready, definitely going to be prepared,” Aguayo said. “It’s just a matter of being ourselves again and getting back to that approach.”

Tulane is coming off a 2-1 series win at Loyola Marymount on the road. The Green Wave recorded 22 runs over the course of the weekend in comparison to the Lions’ 11.

The Green Wave offense was powered primarily by shortstop Kaikea Harrison, who went 7-for-15 over the weekend, and second baseman A.J. Groeneveld, a new addition to the roster who has already garnered four hits.

Notably, Tulane scored 12 runs in their season opener and rebounded from a Saturday loss to end the weekend with a 6-2 win. The midweek meeting with the Bruins could prove to be an offensive bout.

Still, the pitching could be the surprising highlight of Tuesday’s game.

UCLA is planning on starting freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes, who was drafted No. 50 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, in his first start as a Bruin. While not nearly as hyped up as Cervantes, Tulane will be throwing out a consistent pitcher in right-hander J.D. Rodriguez. Rodriguez already threw for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief over the weekend against LMU.

But the first thing the squads will need to beat is the current Los Angeles winter storm.a

UCLA is embracing a business-as-usual approach despite this uncertainty.

Coach John Savage did not appear to factor it into the game’s preparation when asked about the weather forecast.

“We lift at 8, and we practice at 11, so that’s how we prepare,” Savage said. “We got to just get back on the practice field and make sure that we are focused on the right things.”